"I would only add one film that, inexplicably, I left out: Act of Violence, starring Van Heflin, Robert Ryan, and Janet Leigh. A truly brilliant noir premise. Act of Violence, Kiss Me Deadly, Woman on the Run, Vertigo, and Point Blank are probably my top five. But there are too many to choose from." N.R.

The top 10 classic noir films:

1. The Maltese Falcon (1941)

2. Out of the Past (1947)

3. Double Indemnity (1944)

4. Kiss Me Deadly (1955)

5. Sunset Boulevard (1950)

6. The Big Sleep (1946)

7. Vertigo (1958)

8. Laura (1944)

9. The Lady from Shanghai (1948)

10. The Big Heat (1953)

And another 15: Touch of Evil, The Killers, Criss Cross, Dark Passage, In a Lonely Place, Thieves' Highway, The Killing, Sudden Fear, Crossfire, The Asphalt Jungle, The Third Man, Notorious, Gilda, Pickup on South Street, and The Set-Up.

Act of Violence (1948)

The top 10 noir films you've probably never heard of …

… and that aren't already on everyone's lists of the greatest films ever made: